Expenses: They're all in it together

"Gordon Brown's attempt to clean up politics after the MPs' expenses scandal backfired on him yesterday when he was ordered to pay back more than £12,000 he claimed in allowances.

"Sir Thomas Legg, a former senior civil servant called in by Mr Brown to audit claims by all MPs, ruled that the Prime Minister had claimed too much for cleaning at his second home and uncovered a £1,396 "double claim" for painting and decorating. Mr Brown agreed immediately to pay back a total of £12,415.

"In a dramatic twist to the expenses saga, senior figures in all three main parties were dragged into the net. Sir Thomas asked David Cameron, his shadow Chancellor, George Osborne, and the Chancellor Alistair Darling to provide further details of their claims for mortgage interest under the MPs' "second homes" allowance, while the Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg, repaid £910 he had claimed for gardening costs."